Lightning Eyes
by flyingfishbird
Summary: While working a case, Sam and Dean realize that it is something much bigger when they find a girl that may not be all that she says she is. But Castiel might also be carrying a secret. A sixteen year long secret. A story of obligation, family and betrayal.
1. Robyn McKenzie

It was late into the night and rain pounded mercilessly on what seemed to be the only two people out on the streets. To anybody who may have seen them lurking in the darkness in such weather, they would lock their doors and call them insane. But, in reality, they were the ones that knew the truth. Maybe not about everything, but certainly about the monsters that they shared the world with. "Sharing" may not be the most appropriate word because their sole purpose is, was and always will be to destroy these creatures.

Sam and Dean Winchester. The brothers who devoted their lives to the trade of monster hunting. And they were damn good at it.

"I think we should call it a night." Dean suggested. His voice was tight from fighting the cold that was only intensified by the harsh rain.

Sam shook his head, "I don't think that's a good idea. Something doesn't feel right."

"We don't even know if there is a monster around here. Nobody is even out on the streets tonight. Why would they be? With all the murders and the stupid rain!" Lightning flashed across the sky, followed immediately by an earthshaking rattle of thunder.

"Maybe not. But I want to be su-" Sam stopped suddenly. This caused Dean to look around, trying to find out what he was looking at. A girl was no more than a few yards away from them and approaching. She was drenched. She didn't wear a rain jacket. Just a pullover hoodie (the color of which remains a mystery due to the lack of lighting), yet she had not even bothered to pull the hood up to cover her head. She also wore a pair of jeans and Converse. She couldn't have been more than sixteen years old. Yet, the strangest thing about her was her eyes. A brilliant blue…electric blue. They were the kind of eyes that did not look through you, but stared into you. The kind that would drag all your secrets, all your dreams to the light for only those eyes to see. They were beautiful.

Before the brothers could say anything to her, she put a finger to her lips and with a small, quiet breath, created the sound, "Shh." Taking her finger away from her mouth she barely waved her hand but the gesture was obvious. She wanted them to follow her.

The boys looked at each other. Dean just shrugged but Sam looked like he had a few doubts. But the girl was walking away. There was no time to dwell on questions that weren't even going to be answered. They walked for a few minutes before she suddenly stopped and turned to face them. Dean opened his mouth to speak but she beat him to it.

"Listen. You guys have to get out of this city. The things know you're here. A group of them were coming to waste you. So, do not go back to where you were. You _will _die."

Despite the fact that she was trying to cover it, she seemed desperate for them to stay alive.

"How do you know all this?" Sam asked with narrowing eyes.

She looked frustrated. "Look, I didn't have to help you out. If you want to die, that is your problem. But there are a bunch of demons just dying to get their hands on you guys. And if you're worried about them murdering an innocent person, then don't, because the only ones they are interested in tonight is you. So I would go back to whatever hotel you guys are staying at and figure out what you're going to do. I would suggest leave town."

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Dean chimed in.

She rolled her eyes. "Why would I lie?"

"I don't know. Maybe you are the trap setter or whatever."

"Then wouldn't that make you dead by now?" She took their pause as a 'yes'. "Okay. I'm tired and I want to get out of the rain. So, I'm going home. You all just do what you want." She began walking away quickly, almost like she was scared.

"Wait." Sam ordered.

This made the girl hesitate on her next step. She turned to look at him. Even at that distance, through the rain and the darkness, her eyes were still clear and soul tearing.

"You should stick with us. It's safer."

One corner of the girl's mouth rose to make a crooked smile. "I'll be okay. Trust me." But the pain in her voice was all too real despite the fact that she was desperately trying to cover it up.

"You're terrified." Dean acknowledged gruffly.

There was a long pause as the girl stared down at the curb, no shadow of her smile remained. She finally looked back up and locked eyes with Dean. "You should be too…"

And with that, she continued her walk to wherever she called home. Sam and Dean watched her fade into the rain and the darkness engulfed her until there was nothing more to see. The brothers were silent for a moment before Dean just shook his head.

"So? What do you think our next move should be?"

"I think we should listen to her."

"You mean just leave?" Dean was outraged.

"No, I mean go back to the hotel and figure out what we are going to do from there."

Now it was Dean's turn to look frustrated but before he could speak Sam continued, "Tomorrow night it probably won't be raining so we would be able to get a better look at everything anyway."

"And if someone is murdered?"

Sam was quiet but finally spoke up. "I don't think anyone will."

"Why? Just because she said so?"

"Well…yeah, Dean."

Dean wasn't even sure how to react to his brother. "Fine, Sam. But if someone gets killed tonight, their blood is on your hands." With that, he began to storm off to the hotel in an echo of another loud crack of thunder.

Sam followed but kept a distance, not wanting to set his brother off.

_~The Next Morning~_

Dean fell asleep at a small coffee table where a police scanner rested. He had been listening to it all night, expecting a homicide to come through but none ever did.

Sam threw Dean's jacket on him, waking him with a start. After Dean realized the monster that was attacking him was just his own jacket Sam decided to start talking.

"Come on." Sam said, ready to walk out the door.

"Where are we going?" Dean asked as he stretched, his back cracking in three places. He gave a long groan of relief.

"To do a little more research on what's going on."

Dean looked skeptic. "You want to find that girl."

Sam just looked at his brother who got to his feet. "You're telling me that you don't?"

"No, I'm not saying that."

"Then let's go." Sam was getting anxious.

"Would you even recognize her? It was dark, Sam."

"Nobody has eyes like that."

Dean remembered. He could barely even look at them. Dean finally gave in and changed his clothes. As they walked out the door, he was pulling on his jacket. It was a little cold for mid-Autumn.

"Before we do any looking, I gotta get some food in me. I'm starving."

Sam sighed. "Fine."

Dean got behind the wheel of his 67' Chevy Impala and waited for Sam to climb in the passenger's seat. They rode around for a few minutes before finding a little sandwich place.

"This is what you call breakfast?" Sam asked.

"This is what I call I don't give a crap. I'm hungry." Dean retorted and quickly got out of the Impala.

Sam was trying to say something to his brother who was already walking in to the little sandwich shop but they both stopped dead in the doorway. At the counter, they saw those eyes. Neither of them was sure what to do until the girl looked over and saw them. The brothers saw the terror flood through her and knew what she was about to do.

"Wait!" Dean shouted, causing the five people in the little shop, including the man working the register to look over. But Dean's shout had no effect. The girl practically flew from her chair, the force causing it to fall to the tiled floor with a loud, metallic _clang._ And like that, the chase was on.

The girl went out the Employees Only exit, nearly taking down a waiter by accident. Dean on the other hand actually did take down the waiter and they both went crashing to the floor. The waiter was screaming, "Don't kill me! Don't kill me, man!" Over and over again. Dean just cursed loudly as he jumped to his feet. He looked around him and didn't see Sam. He thought that was strange but trusted his brother so he just started to sprint after the girl once again, but he knew that he wouldn't catch her. She was incredibly fast.

Up ahead, the girl looked behind her, not seeing either Sam or Dean on her trail. She smiled a little, thinking that she was safe but all of a sudden, her once clear path was obstructed. She ran into what felt like a brick building, but it couldn't have been because whatever it was gave a loud grunt like all the wind had been knocked out of it and it gave way a few feet. Not a moment later, she felt huge arms wrap around her, holding her in place and a hand covered her mouth, preventing her from screaming. There was nothing she could do. She knew it had to be Sam who was now fighting to keep hold of her and get all the air back that he had lost.

Dean finally caught up to the two of them, breathing heavily from the run. "How did you…?" He asked in between breaths.

"I went around the back." This was all that Sam offered, also in between breaths right before he felt something soft and wet rub against the palm of his hand, realizing that she was licking it in an attempt to get him to get his hand off from over her mouth. It succeeded as Sam let out a sound of disgust and wiped his palm on his jeans. "That was so mature." He said sarcastically.

"Let me go!" She shouted which caused Sam to have to replace his hand.

Dean just kind of chuckled. So far, the kid wasn't half bad. "Okay." He said, getting serious. "We have to talk to you." As he looked at her, he noticed that her left eye was swollen and bruised and right below that, on her cheek was a cut that was about an inch long. It looked like it had just stopped bleeding maybe half an hour ago if that. He was sure that neither of those things had been there last night.

She said something but it was so muffled that neither of them could quite make it out. They weren't sure if they really wanted to. The muffle was short lived as it was interrupted by a loud gurgle and growl. Sam and Dean both actually looked around for the source of the noise, Dean's hand moving towards a knife in his jacket. This was until they realized that it was coming from the girl's stomach. Her right cheek turned a bright red and Dean was sure the other one would have blushed too if it wasn't for the bruise. Dean realized that they had interrupted her meal, which from the looks of her had been the only one she had for a while. This gave him an idea.

"Okay. If you talk to us, we will buy you food for as long as we're in town."

Sam felt her perk up.

"Deal?" Dean asked.

The girl clearly didn't want to agree but she was starving. And she was very, very broke. She finally nodded and Sam slowly took his hand away from her mouth. When she stayed quiet, he took the arm that was holding her still away. She could have ran and probably could have even gotten away because of how fast she was.

"Good. Let's find a place to eat, because I really don't think that other place will let us back in."

The girl just nodded, not really making eye contact with either of them.

"What is your name anyway?" Dean asked.

"Robyn McKenzie."


	2. The Army

"She's worse than you, Dean." Same whispered to his brother as they watched Robyn tear away at a defenseless burger.

"This kid ain't half bad." He said as he leaned back in his chair with a slight smile.

Robyn wasn't hearing either of them. She was just happy to finally be eating something.

"So, let's start talk-" Sam started but was quickly cut off by Dean grabbing his arm to silence him.

"Sam. Don't be stupid. It's for your own good to wait until she's done." Dean warned. Sam just rolled his eyes but did as Dean said, knowing that it might actually be a mistake to interrupt her eating. Lucky for him, it wasn't too long of a wait.

"What happened to your face?" Dean finally asked as he watched her swallow the last bite.

Her face suddenly darkened. "What the hell happened to yours?" She retorted quickly. "Is that really going to be your first question?"

"I think he means, how did you get the black eye?" Sam clarified.

"I know what he means." Her tone was sharp. She was really starting to question whether the food was worth all of this. She sighed heavily. "They found out that I helped you and they got pissed off." She explained. "And they are going to find out this time…"

"Usually they kill people like you. Not just give 'em a black eye." Dean said, staring at her.

"I know that…"

"So? Why didn't they kill you?"

"I don't know." It was a lie and everyone knew it.

"Why don't you tell us the truth?" Sam asked.

"Why does it matter? I'm not dead and I'm helping you. What could be better? I don't know why you guys need reasons for everything."

"Fine." Dean said which surprised Sam. Usually he kept at these things until he got an answer. "How did you know who we were?"

"Well, in the hunting world, you guys aren't exactly subtle."

"Fair enough. Okay, so what are we looking for?"

"I told you to just leave tow-"

"I know what you told us. But, that just isn't going to happen. So you better just go ahead and tell us how we should kill these things."

She seemed to wince at the word "Kill."

"Or are you fine with those things murdering people. You're one of them aren't you?" Dean suddenly became angry.

"No!" She said louder than she should have. People in the restaurant glanced over at them. She waited for the eavesdroppers to lose interest before continuing. "Those people were innocent and didn't deserve to die. I bet you don't even know half of their names."

She waited for a response but received none, so she continued. "Trisha Carter. She was a teacher taking night classes to get her Master's Degree. David Croft. He was in a band. They were supposed to play at the old Irish bar downtown, but he never made it. Todd Gore. He got married two weekends ago. They were about to go on their honeymoon. They had to wait two weeks after the wedding because his boss wouldn't let him off until then. There have been so many more. So don't you _ever _associate me with those things."

"So, why are you with them?" Sam asked. He was actually impressed with her. She reminded him of someone but he just couldn't figure out whom.

She stopped. "I…I have my reasons. You wouldn't get it…"

"What are you?" Dean asked harshly.

She looked a little surprised, although she knew this question would have to turn up some time or another. "I'm human."

"Bullsh-"

"So you hang around with monsters? How is that a good idea?" Sam asked.

"Safety I guess… If I'm friends with them then they won't kill me. I guess that's why I'm still alive."

"You coward." Dean hissed.

"Dean…" Sam tried to stop him.

"No, Sam. I'm done with this. Anyone who is willing to watch innocent people die while they sit around and let themselves get thrown around by these things just to stay alive is not meant to live in the first place." Before Sam could calm his brother down, Dean was already heading towards the door.

He just sighed. "I know that's not why. You're not worried about staying alive."

"How would you know?" She asked, not wanting to look at him.

"People who lost the will to live have this certain look about them. Dean and I know it better than anybody. So safety is definitely not what you're in it for."

"Like I said before, it doesn't even matter. What matters is that the killings stop…"

"What are they?"

After taking a long breath, she locked eyes with Sam which caused a shiver to run down the length of his spine. "They are the beginning of an army."

"An army? An army of what?"

"Rugarus, Ghouls, demons. That's pretty much the gist of it."

"Why would they be working together?" Sam asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Well, it started off with just the Rugarus and Ghouls. You know, Ghoul's usually eat the dead, but they decided that that just wasn't enough anymore. Any Rugarus were having a hard time because…well…they aren't exactly the prettiest things out there. So people tend to avoid them anyway. So the Rugarus struck up a deal. If the Ghouls could help lure people in, then they split the meal and the Rugarus will basically become the Ghoul's bitch to an extent."

Sam thought about this for a moment. It actually made sense. "So, where do the demons come in, in all of this?"

Robyn looked away from him, down at her now empty plate. "Demons just want to rule over humans. That is their goal. So they noticed the monsters teaming up and thought that it was the start to a good idea. So they struck up a conversation with the Rugaru and Ghoul leaders and they liked the idea of ruling and having human sacrifices made to them. So, right now, they are just gaining energy and followers until they are ready to take on anything the humans can throw at them."

"Where is their base?"

Robyn's jaw clenched. "Johnson's Warehouse…It's down North Boulevard. It's all boarded up and raggedy. You can't miss it."

Sam just stared, almost like he was studying her. He knew that she was telling the truth, he had no doubt about it. But, there was this look in her eyes that he just couldn't get around. It wasn't just because they were so strange of a color, but it was the amount of pain behind him. It almost hurt him just to look. She was so broken that he was amazed that she was still breathing.

"What?" Robyn asked sharply, wishing he would stop staring at her like that.

"Nothing… Come on. I think you've given enough information for now."

"For now? I've given all the information you need."

"We'll see about that. Now, where do you live?"

"Why?" She asked, a little too quickly.

Sam looked a little surprised. "Well, so we know where to get you to make good on our deal."

"Oh…" she muttered. "I could just meet you here."

Sam wasn't sure what to say for a while. "Where are your parents?"

"Out of town." She answered, again, a little too quickly.

"Where?"

"Los freaking Angeles. Why the hell do you care?" She snapped.

"You want to stay with us? Until we leave town?"

She was stunned. She opened her moth to speak, but no sound came out. She finally cleared her throat and said, "That's really not a good idea."

"Why not?" Sam persisted.

"Well, Dean hates me anyway, and those monsters will find out."

"So you're afraid of Dean?"

"I didn't say that. I just think that he wouldn't appreciate it if I was there. And did you not hear the thing about the monsters?"

"We are going to kill them anyway, so why does it matter?"

Again, she winced when he mentioned killing those creatures. Sam just shook his head.

"I really don't understand you." Sam muttered.

She forced a crooked smile. "Don't worry. I don't either…" There was a short pause. "I can't stay with you guys… but thanks for the offer."

Sam could tell that she meant that thank you with every fiber of her being. It was clear that she was never offered anything of real value in her life.

"If you change your mind, we are staying at the hotel across the street." He asked a passing waitress for a pen and scribbled down the hotel name and room number on a fresh napkin. He handed the pen back to the waitress and slid the napkin towards Robyn. "Now, I don't want to offend you but, you look like you could really use some help. If you need us, or just a place to crash, come by any time." Sam looked at her with eyes that were so warm and kind that this time it was Robyn who had to look away.

"I don't need your help…" She muttered, but she still folded up the napkin and shoved it into her pocket.

Sam smiled slightly. "Of course you don't."

Robyn risked a glance back up at him. "So…same time same place? Tomorrow?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay." She said. And without another word, she stood up and walked out the door.

_-That Night-_

Dean had all his knives arranged neatly on the coffee table in front of him, preparing for what they were about to do. Of course that night was just scouting the place, figuring out how many things were there.

"You ready, Sammy?" Dean asked his brother, who seemed to be preoccupied.

"Yeah…I guess so." He was hoping that Robyn would show up. He had a feeling that she was with those things right now. He knew that every moment she was with them, she was in danger. There was something about her that he just could not figure out, and it caused him to really worry.

Dean sighed and stood up. "You had better get your head out of your ass quick, Sam." Dean suggested mildly, starting to wonder what was going on with his brother.

"I'm fine, Dean." Sam said evenly, not really thinking about it.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Sam let out a huge sigh of relief.

"You expecting company?" Dean asked, very confused.

"I said that Robyn could come stay with us until we leave." Sam answered, striding to the door, unchaining it.

"Why the hell would you do that?"

Sam opened the door with a slight smile which didn't even get a chance to fade before he was sent crashing to the ground, his head searing with intense pain until finally everything went black.

Hearing the noise, Dean looked up, but the figure was already upon him and he suffered the same fate as his brother.

-_Hours Later-_

Dean was the first one to open his eyes, groaning against the throbbing pain on the side of his head. He felt like he had a really bad hangover. He glanced around the room, his vision slowly starting to clear. He realized that he was in the middle of the room as his eyes rested on a figure sitting about 20 feet in front of him, their back against the far wall. He recognized the figure as Robyn and was about the start screaming at her when he realized that dark red liquid was dripping from the side of her head and that she wasn't moving.

Dean shook his head in frustration as he continued the scan the room. He was tied to a straight-backed chair with his hands bound behind it. He heard a low groan from behind him that made him feel a lot better.

"Sammy!" Dean said enthusiastically.

"Dean?" Sam's head was so foggy, he wasn't even sure if he heard his brother. They were tied back to back, unable to truly look at each other.

"Yeah, man. It's me."

"How did this happen?"

"Well, as far as I can tell, you're friend got us into this."

"Why? Did you see her?" Sam asked, wincing slightly against the pain in his head.

"I'm looking at her now."

"She's here?" Sam asked, becoming a little frantic.

"Calm down. She's knocked out…" Dean sure hoped that she was knocked out. The other possibility was that she was dead, but he decided that they would cross that bridge when they came to it.

They suddenly heard footsteps. A heavy metal door on the left wall opened with a loud creak. A tall man walked in and flashed an almost charming smile at the brothers had it not been for his sharp, jagged teeth. Sam had to crane his neck to see the stranger. He was obviously a Rugaru with his grey, repulsive skin.

"Sorry about all of this." He said as he approached the brothers. Dean opened his mouth to say something along the lines of "Get the hell away," but before he could, the monster grabbed the back of Sam's chair and spun it around so that now Sam and Dean were side by side. Sam felt sick with the sudden turn, and the feeling only intensified when he saw Robyn just sitting there. His breath caught in his throat and his jaw clenched tightly. He couldn't tell if she was breathing or not from that distance.

"But you know, it's difficult to make plans of such caliber with hunters in our business every step we take. And of course the mutt doesn't make it too easy."

"Mutt?" Dean asked sharply. He wasn't sure if he had ever heard that term before when referring to a monster.

The Rugaru looked genuinely confused but the smile quickly returned when he burst into a fit of laughter. "Well, I guess it makes sense for you not to know. She's always been ashamed of it. Likes to go around playing human." He turned his back on the brothers and approached the unconscious girl.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked quickly.

He knelt in front of Robyn. "Wake up." He said in a stern voice as he grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and lifted her up.

"Hey!" Dean shouted. "Put her down or I swear-"

"You'll kill me?" The man said as he turned his head slightly. He wore a crooked smile, the same one that Robyn had from time to time.

Neither Sam nor Dean had time to recognize this when Robyn started to open her eyes painfully.

"Let go…" She said feebly.

"Shut up!" The man shouted, the smile disappearing as he looked back at Robyn. He just dropped her and she fell to the ground, hard. "This is you're damn fault! You wanted so bad to help _hunters_, well now you get to watch them die."

"Neil! Please!" Robyn shouted as she got to her feet. "I've never asked for anything! So, now I'm asking that you just let them go!"

The man stole a quick glance at the brothers. The rage in his eyes was chilling. He spun back on Robyn and put both hands on her shoulders and squeezed roughly, causing her to wince. He looked directly at her and said with cold fury in his voice, "You are so lucky you're my sister."


	3. Monster

"You are so lucky you're my sister. If we weren't blood, I would have killed you the second I saw your freaky mutt eyes." He hissed.

Sam and Dean just looked stunned, but now everything started to make a little more sense.

"_Sister?"_ Dean interjected into the conversation. "So you're a Rugaru?" He was thoroughly surprised. She didn't have the attitude of a future beast like that.

"No!" Her brother answered fiercely. "Frankly, only God knows what the hell she is." He broke into a small chuckle as he released her. "But, she is much worse than any one of us."

"Shut up!" Robyn shouted. This took Neil off guard.

"What did you say to me?" All traces of his smile were gone as he glared at his little sister.

As this was going on, someone appeared out of nowhere, wearing a long tan trench coat, a white dress shirt and a tie that was in an advanced state of disarray. Neil didn't notice the man as he faced Robyn, looking like he was fit to murder, but she stood her ground this time.

Dean looked up and sighed in relief. "Little help, Cas?" He whispered to the angel.

Castiel just nodded and the rope fell off of the brother's, freeing them to take over while the angel looked around the room, examining the situation. His ears perked up at the female voice in the room.

"You don't need to kill them! There is no point! You aren't gaining anything!"

"Robyn?" Castiel began approaching the girl, and upon hearing the new voice, her brother turned around.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Neil snapped, preparing to attack the stranger. He noticed the Sam and Dean were out of their binds and he knew that he was in trouble.

"Castiel?" Robyn muttered as she stepped out from behind her brother. "What are you doing here?"

Castiel didn't answer her. Instead, he moved quickly back to the boys and said, "I cannot be here. Whatever you do, do not let her die." His voice had a desperate sense of urgency in it. Like if this girl did not survive, the world would end.

"Cas-" But before Dean could say anything else, the angel was gone.

Neil started running to the door, followed closely behind Sam and Dean. Neil opened the door and shut it as fast as he could behind him, leaving the brothers a few strides behind him.

"Wait!" Robyn shouted. This caused them to stop dead in their tracks. "He wants you to follow him! He wants to lead you into the thick of the group. Right now, there are three demons, one ghoul and two Rugarus. Well, I guess three including him."

"Doesn't sound like much of an army." Dean muttered under his breath.

"That's because they are spreading out. Going to different cities? Ever heard of strategy?" Robyn replied, trying her best to not get angry, but it wasn't going well.

"How the hell are we supposed to trust you? Your brother is a monster, and from the sound of it, you're the worst one yet!"

"Is this really the time for this?" Sam tried to intervene.

"Ask her! She's been lying to us from the beginning. Why should we trust her, Sam?"

"You heard Cas." Sam said a little quieter.

"Right here, guys. Still in the room."

Sam looked at her, trying to figure out what to do. Castiel made it clear that he wanted Robyn alive. But, why? Why was she so important?

"Get out of here." Sam said sternly.

"What?"

"I said get out. Go back to the hotel and stay there." He dug into his pocket and pulled out the room key, handing it to her. "Lock the doors once you're inside. Don't open it for anybody. Understand?"

Robyn looked at the key in her hand and then back at Sam. "I'm not leaving you guys." She said very matter-of-factly.

"Yeah you are. It's too dangerous for you here."

"I've been living here most of my life. I know how to take care of myself. It's kind of my thing." She wasn't used to people trying to protect her. She had someone like that once, but that was a long time ago now.

"I don't care. Just go back to the hotel."

"But I can help!"

"Go!" Dean shouted, deciding to finally back up Sam.

Robyn looked angry, but she didn't want to fight with them so she turned and ran out of the door, able to avoid the creatures she knew were lurking in the hallways.

"Why are we protecting her?" Dean finally asked. "Why does Cas think she is so important?"

"I don't know, Dean. But, you know what I just realized?"

"What?"

"We don't have any weapons."

"Shi-" Before Dean could get that thought out, a low series of laughter could be heard just on the other side of the door. The brothers looked at each other, trying to figure out what they should do. Escaping was no longer an option as the door flew open, and the creatures Robyn had told them about came through. Two of the three demons wasted no time in sending the brothers flying with just the use of their minds. This caused Sam and Dean to hit the far wall hard, knocking the wind out of them.

"This is going to be easier than I thought." The single Ghoul laughed with horrific glee.

"You could have taken care of this yourself, Neil." The annoyed looking third demon mentioned. He had the demeanor of a leader.

"They are the Winchester's. I thought they would be more of a hassle." Neil said, looking for an excuse.

The demon rolled its eyes. "What's done is done. May as well finish it while we're here." The demon approached the boys who were being held against the wall by the other two demons, but stopped short as he spun around to look at Neil.

"Where is Robyn?" a tinge of worry scraping away at his voice.

"I don't know! She was here when I left!" The Rugaru was clearly starting to panic.

"You idiot! You know how crucial she is! Go find her! You go with him, Porter." The demon commanded.

One of the other Rugarus nodded and began to walk with Neil out of the room. Neil looked like he was about to pass out from fear.

The demon looked back at the brothers. "Do you know where she is?"

"Why is she so important to you?" Dean asked, starting to get his breath back.

The demon glared at him. "What business is it of yours?"

"Well then I guess it's no business of yours where she is, if you can't even tell me what you need her for."

In a fit of anger, the demon clasped his hand around Dean's throat, slowly closing off his airway. He turned to Sam, "Tell me where she went! Or he will die."

Sam's jaw clenched tightly. "I don't know." He lied. This caused the demon to press a little harder, making Dean desperately attempt to gasp for air.

"You already have your guys looking for her! Why do you need us to tell you?" Sam tried to negotiate.

"They won't find her. Don't you understand? If that kid uses all that she's capable of, nobody will ever find her."

"What is she?"

"Hell if I know." The demon said with a shrug. Dean was starting to turn an ugly shade of purple.

"Let go!" Sam begged, trying desperately to move his arm but it felt like it was glued to the wall.

"Tell me where she is!"

The argument was interrupted by a low growl that sounded almost wolfish. Everyone turned around, even the demon who let go of Dean's throat. He gasped in air greedily, his face returning to a healthy color.

Robyn stood at the doorway, except this wasn't the human that Sam and Dean had met. Her teeth were razor sharp and her canines had grown to at least an inch in length. Her skin was paler and small, blue markings were starting to take shape all over her body. They looked like glowing, blue tribal tattoos. Her eyes were that same piercing blue except now her irises were bigger, leaving hardly any white still visible.

"Step back." She ordered, her voice mixed with the low growl they had heard before.

The demon looked terrified as he stepped away from the brothers. The two demons that were holding them against the wall lost their focus and the boys dropped to the ground.

"Robyn. Just calm down. You don't want to hurt anybody. I know you." The demon said as his voice softened to the best of his ability, just trying to save himself. Sam and Dean just watched with interest. As they did, they noticed that her fingernails were beginning to grow and sharpen into what looked like claws.

"Let them leave."

"You know I can't just do that."

"Then you better be damn careful what you choose to do next." She warned.

The demon looked at the two hunters who were starting to get to their feet, preparing themselves. In one swift movement, he reached in his jacket, pulling out a long knife and made an attempt to stab Dean in the heart. Dean turned so that the blow wouldn't be fatal but when the knife was about an inch away from his shoulder, there was a loud burst of what sounded like thunder. Robyn was suddenly in between the demon and Dean. Her right hand held the demon's wrist, preventing the knife from going and farther and her left hand rested in his stomach. There was a strange noise that sounded like something was short circuiting but it was overcome by the demon screaming in agony. Red markings similar to Robyn's appeared on his body as he finally collapsed and black smoke erupted from the man's mouth.

The two demons that were left looked on in horror. Without having to think twice, they exited their host's body in that same looking black cloud. The Rugaru and the Ghoul tried to escape like the demons, running to the door as fast as they could. Another crack of what sounded like thunder echoed through the large space and Robyn was blocking their escape route. It didn't take long for them to suffer the same fate as their demon leader.

When it was all over, Robyn's face began to change. It became softer as her skin went back to normal and the blue markings receded. Her teeth shortened and dulled, as did her fingernails. Her irises shrank but that did not lessen the intensity of her eyes. She looked over at the brothers, breathing heavily as her own blood coated the right side of her face. She took a step back toward the door.

"I'm so sorry…" She muttered pitifully as she turned and ran out of the room that was now filled with death.

"Wait!" Dean shouted after her as he tried to follow. This surprised Sam. He believed that Dean truly hated the girl, but now he ran ager her like it was his sole job in life to protect the girl. Sam, of course, wasn't too far behind.

As Dean ran through the door, that same sound of thunder shook the building and they knew that Robyn was gone.

"Damn it!" Dean shouted as he slowed to a stop.

"There is nothing we can do about it, Dean." Sam said, trying to calm his brother down.

"Shut up, Sammy." Dean muttered as he started to make his way out of the building, following the glowing red "Exit" signs. It wasn't long before they stumbled over the charred body of the Rugaru that had been accompanying Neil in the search for Robyn.

"I guess _Neil_ wasn't planning on coming back." Dean said as he continued down the long stretch of hallway.

"Guess not." Sam agreed, stepping over the body carefully.

They were quiet for a while until they finally got out on the street.

"Why the hell would she run from us?" Dean fumed.

"Scared, I guess?"

"No…she wasn't scared. Not that we would kill her anyway."

"Then what would she be afraid of?"

Dean thought for a moment and suddenly, he knew. He figured her out. Well, her motive for running at least.

"She was afraid that she would be the one to kill us…"


	4. Infection

Sam and Dean had been looking for Robyn for about a week now, hoping she hadn't skipped town. Sam didn't say much in the passenger's seat of the Impala, but Dean hardly noticed as he continued to fume over the events that took place.

"Why the hell would Cas leave? We needed him there and he knows it."

"Yeah." Sam replied absentmindedly. He had been listening to this same speech for a while now.

"I mean, it was like he knew her, right? Don't you think so?"

"Yeah."

"She should have stuck around and talked to us. Told us the damn truth. She never even acted like a monster, so we didn't really have a reason to kill her…"

This continued on and off for about two hours. It was dark, around eleven o'clock, but Dean's headlights had caught sight of something on a park bench as he made a right turn. He slammed on the breaks, knocking Sam out of his stupor as his head hit the dash.

"Dean! What the hell?" Sam shouted as he rubbed his forehead, but Dean was already gone. He had practically leaped out of the car and was running to the bench. Sam at first thought it was just some homeless person but then he realized that the shape was too small.

Dean went around to the front of the bench, expecting Robyn to be angry for finding her, but she was too busy sleeping. She had folded up her old hoodie to make a pillow and just decided against a blanket completely. Her pack was leaning gently on the leg of the bench towards her feet. Dean noticed something. She had wrapped a red bandana around her head to act as a bandage from where her brother had hit her. Dean winced with a burst of empathy when he realized that the bandana had originally been white. She must not have been able to change the makeshift bandage when necessary. Even in the dark, Dean saw that she looked very pale. He placed a hand on her forehead and immediately felt heat radiating off of her skin. She had a fever of at least 103.

Dean sighed heavily. "You shouldn't have run from us."

She didn't even stir. This wasn't a normal state of sleep. The wound on her head had become infected and now she was feeling the results.

Dean shook his head. "Dammit, kid." He muttered to himself as he bent down slightly in order to slide his left arm under her shoulder blades and his right arm under her knees and lift her up off the bench. He heard her groan quietly.

Sam came up at that moment. "What's wrong?" He asked, staring at Robyn's limp body, thinking the worst.

"She's sick." Dean said simply. "Grab her stuff, will ya?" It wasn't really a suggestion, but Sam grabbed the pack and the hoodie and followed the two of them to the car. Dean gently put her in the backseat after Sam opened the door for him. Dean climbed in the driver's seat and they made their way back to the motel. He set her on one of the beds and turned his attention to the bloody bandana. She had a thin film of sweat on her face and he had noticed when carrying her that she was shaking.

"I'll go get some supplies." Sam said. "You stay with her. I'll be back soon."

"Alright. Hurry." Dean replied without looking up. He only knew he was gone by the sound of the closing door. He reached down and tried to carefully take off the bandana. This was rewarded with a gasp of pain as Robyn's hand flew up, grabbing Dean's wrist. Her eyes opened and she looked up at him. It took her a moment to register who he was, but when she did, she pushed his hand away and tried to sit up.

"I wouldn't do that." Dean told her. She didn't listen. When she sat up, she felt a sudden shock of pain that took her breath away and Dean knew it, but she remained sitting.

"How did I get here?" She asked after a while through grit teeth.

"You were lying on the park bench and weren't looking too good."

"So you kidnapped me?"

"For your own good."

"Oh, well that makes it legal." She said sarcastically.

"Okay. I'm not talking legality with you. But, I need to see your head wound. It's infected and it's going to need stitches if it can still bleed like that."

"I'm fine." She argued.

"Shut up and take the damn bandana off." He ordered, gruffly.

She clenched her jaw as her hands moved to the bloody bandana. She untied it and let it fall into her lap.

Dean sat down next to her with a sewing kit. "Why'd you run?" He asked, trying to disguise it as normal conversation.

"You saw what I was..." She answered in return. Her voice was strained. She felt a little confused by the question to begin with. Why would a _monster_ hand around hunters?

"Well, we knew you weren't exactly normal to start with."

"Then why didn't you kill me?"

"Do you think we just go around killing people that give off a weird vibe?"

"Weird vibe? Is that really all I give off?" She looked him in the eyes for the first time since she woke. It sent a shiver down Dean's spine, but it wasn't that her eyes made him feel cold or uncomfortable. It was the opposite in fact. Those eyes made him almost…_happy._

"Well, yeah." He answered evenly. "You don't give off the monster vibe." He saw her jaw clench at the word _monster._ It almost made him want to take the word back altogether. Instead of doing that, he began to work on the stitching.

"Ow! What are you trying to do? Skin me?!"

"Shut up and be still." Dean ordered sharply as he moved some of her hair to the side. He grimaced at what he saw. It was swollen and it was not looking good. It took five stitches.

"Doesn't look like you and your brother really got along." He mentioned.

"Doesn't look like it's really any of your business."

"Look, I'm trying to help you out here."

"Then help! But don't talk about things that aren't your concern. And my family is one of those things."

"You seriously don't see it?" Dean asked.

"See what?"

"What I saw in there. That was no family. That was some asshole who wouldn't think twice if it ever came down to you or him. He would choose himself every time."

She would have hit him. She would have if at that moment she wasn't seeing two of him. Her head felt like it was going to implode and part of her wished that it would.

"You don't know what you're talking about." She muttered.

"You'd be surprised what I know."

"Whatever. You might think you know all there is, but you don't. Just because the Winchesters are famous for their tight ass family crap doesn't mean you can preach about it to me."

"You said that we weren't very subtle, and I get that. But you really seem to know a lot about us." Dean said matter-of-factly.

She shrugged. "Everyone knows a lot about you. It's no big deal." That was a lie. In truth, the Winchesters had been her heroes since she was small. She would hear stories about them from her own "family", and to any other monster, those stories would have made the brothers sound like bloodthirsty beasts. But not to Robyn. So, instead of hearing tales about knights or Superman, she would listen to stories about the Winchesters and how they had bested yet another creature. She looked up to them, but she was also jealous. Jealous that they had somebody that looked out for them. Somebody that cared about them. She was jealous that they got to be human and she didn't. Despite all of this, she never showed how happy she felt that she got to meet them.

"Right…" Dean said after the fifth stitch. "All done."

"Thank, God." Robyn said with a sigh. "It felt like being mauled by a bear."

Dean smiled slightly. "Well, whenever Sam gets back, we can clean it up a little more and get you on antibiotics."

She just nodded.

Dean sat next to her still. He needed to ask. "Cas. You knew him and he knew you. How?" Dean could actually see her face darken. He wasn't expecting her to answer, but she opened her mouth.

"He helped me out when I was little. That's all. Angels do that sometimes." That was only part of the story.

"Don't take this the wrong way." Dean started. "But, angels really only help a certain group…"

"I know. They only help humans." She said evenly but Dean heard the pain disguised in her voice. "I was different I guess. Well, maybe it's the same reason that you haven't killed me. Hunters usually only help humans too."

She got him there. He wanted to believe that they hadn't killed her because Castiel told them not to. But the fact weighed on him that that wasn't true.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing that you've got Cas on your side. For whatever reason." Dean said with what sounded to Robyn like mild frustration. She didn't have time to ask about it since Sam walked in at about that moment.

"I got some antibiotics, rubbing alcohol and some bandages."

_-A few hours later-_

Robyn was sound asleep with a fresh bandage and some antibiotics that were steadily killing the infection. The brothers had stepped outside to get their thoughts on the situation together without disturbing the girl.

"Well?" Sam asked, looking directly at Dean.

"Well what? She seems one-hundred percent human."

"We both know that's not true."

"Have you ever seen a monster that gets sick like that? From something so…_normal?_"

"No, but, Dean. You know what you saw. There was nothing human in that thing." Sam didn't understand why Dean was trying so hard to defend this girl. Usually he would have killed her on the spot, but now he was acting like she was his own blood.

"I'm not saying that she's not…something. I'm just saying that if she was a big, huge terrible monster, wouldn't she be able to fight off an infection a little easier? I mean, usually things like that heal pretty fast."

What do you think that means?"

"I think that it means she is actually forcing herself to be human. To the next level."

"Don't you think that might be a little strange?" Sam asked, trying to get it through to his brother that something was off.

"It's actually refreshing." Dean returned. "To meet a monster that wants to be human so bad that they practically _make_ themselves into one? Fine by me."

"I don't think that you're taking this seriously enough."

"You're the one who it practically begging to kill her no-"

Dean was interrupted by a man appearing in between the brothers.

"Cas! What happened to you back there? You just left us!" Dean wasted no time getting to the brunt of his frustration.

"I can only offer my sincerest apologies. But, I had no other choice. I could not stay." He paused a moment, but before any questions could arise from the brothers, he asked his own, "Where is the girl?"

This took them by surprise. "She's in the room." Sam answered, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Is she safe?"

"Yes."

"A little bump on the head, but she'll be fine. She's tough." Dean clarified with a nod.

"You mean she's hurt?"

"Well, you know. She's getting better now. No big deal."

"She's not healed?"

"Cas, she is laying down. She will be fine."

Cas seemed extremely tense. "She is sleeping?"

"Yes."

He disappeared. Sam and Dean looked at each other, utterly confused. Castiel was acting like he had committed a crime and was doing a very poor job of covering it up. They walked back into the motel room and saw him standing in there, looking at the sleeping girl.

"Why hasn't she healed?" Castiel said, more to himself than to anyone else.

"Cas." Sam said softly. "What is she?"

There was a long pause and Castiel finally said, "She is what happens when an angel breeds with a demon…"


	5. Attached

"An angel and a demon?" Sam asked, stunned. "I didn't know they even existed."

"Yes." He paused a moment. "Maybe we should step outside." He barely finished his sentence before he disappeared again. Sam and Dean looked at each other before walking to the door, closing it tightly behind them. Castiel started speaking when the door clicked shut, but Dean wasn't really listening. He was starting to make a few connections. Castiel told them to keep the girl alive no matter what. She was part angel. They knew each other.

"She's yours?" Dean's mouth hung open as if he had something else to say but was unable to coordinate it to create the proper syllables. Even his question was spoken in a forced whisper. Yet, he was rewarded with a strange look from Castiel.

"Mine? If you are asking if she is from my decent, then you would be mistaken. She is of my sister, Lailah. We were very close. I was the only angel she confided in when the child came to be. She came to earth to complete some of God's work and she came across a demon. She never told me the name. She was able to keep the child a secret and distanced herself from it. She only asked me to watch over her as she grew."

"What about her brother?" Sam asked.

"That was not her real brother." Castiel's voice darkened. "When I put her in that home, I believed they were good, kind, God loving people. But I was wrong. They were dirty, filled with greed and bad blood. I did not think that the boy would be a Rugaru."

"What happened to her adopted parents anyway? They weren't in that building…were they?"

"No." Castiel seemed to hesitate. "The boy killed them when his craving for flesh became too much for him. That was when he really turned into a Rugaru. Robyn was seven. That was actually the first time she realized that she was different. The boy tried to kill her too, but he was unable. I interceded, but she had already used her powers. Already realized that she wasn't human. She didn't talk for days." Castiel paused, trying to figure out where to go with the story next. "Her brother then stumbled across other Rugarus around the time the army was being put together. He mentioned his sister and the demons insisted that she join despite none of them really knowing what she was."

Dean couldn't believe this. He just shook his head in frustration, "So her mother just ditched her? While all this was going on, she just let her kid get almost killed, and used?"

"She believed she had no choice. An angel having a child with a demon…nothing can be much worse."

"Except for being a child of an angel and a demon…" He retorted angrily.

Castiel looked Dean in the eyes. "You're angry. Why?"

"Because." Dean snapped. "Because you did a really shitty job of watching over her. Look. She could have died if we hadn't of found her."

"She would not have died, Dean. Eventually her survival instinct would have kicked in and her angel or demon self would have healed her."

"She wouldn't of had to if you had been watching."

"Dean… I watched her for as long as I was allowed. The angels found out about the child and I was forced to step aside when she was ten years old. I have not been able to be in contact with her since then."

Dean thought he heard a twinge of regret in Castiel's voice but chose to ignore it.

"Where the hell is her mother now?" Dean asked, his voice blunt and harsh.

"I'm not sure. Once heaven found out about the child, she disappeared."

"Stop calling her 'the child!' Her name is Robyn!"

Both Castiel and Sam looked confused and a little uneasy about how Dean was reacting. Sam, especially, since he had been so fixed on hating her in the beginning. Sam was starting to believe that Dean had never really hated her at all. He suddenly realized who the girl reminded him of. It was his own brother.

"Dean, I think you should calm down." Sam said carefully.

"Oh yeah, Sam? Why should I do that? I'm the only one that's sticking up for the kid!"

"Why are you sticking up for her? She's part demon…she's not a kid."

"Like hell she isn't! She's a kid that got left behind by everybody! She never has a chance to be a real kid because she knows about this life! Was born into it! Sound familiar?!" He was shouting now. He didn't even know why he was angry. He just knew that Robyn needed someone to be on her side and he was the only one who would right now.

"She's not your responsibility, Dean. I mean, what do you expect us to do? Take her with us?"

"Yes." The answer came out so easily that it even surprised himself. It was like it was the obvious choice.

"She's dangerous!" Sam liked Robyn, but now that he knew what she was and seen what she was truly capable of, he wasn't sure they could trust her. He couldn't believe that Dean even trusted her after all they had been through.

"Not to us! If you talked to her for just a few seconds, you would see that!"

Sam looked at Castiel, trying to get some back up.

"From what I have seen, she is no murderer. She kills when she has to. And I believe that she may even be of help to the both of you." Castiel said with a slight nod.

Sam threw his hands in the air. "Fine. We'll give her a chance I guess."

The corner of Dean's mouth rose in a triumphant smirk. "Come on, Sammy. She'll grow on ya." He hit his brother's arm affectionately, with an open hand.

Sam's jaw clenched in frustration. "Well, if you didn't have to watch over her anymore, why did you tell us to keep her alive?" He asked curiously.

"I made a mistake. I got… attached." He said the word as if it tasted bitter on his tongue.

"Attached?"

"Yes. Instead of being just her guardian, I became more of a father. So when I saw that she was in danger, naturally I wanted her to survive."

"If you were like a father to her, why did you just leave her? Angels or no angels."

"I tried." He answered honestly. "But to watch over her, I needed her to believe that I was gone. So I was not able to communicate with her. But, she flies under angel and demon radar so to speak. Usually, under normal circumstances, she would tell me where she was going since at that point, she was traveling so much with those creatures. But, eventually, I lost track. I haven't been able to find her since. Well, until a few days ago at least. I should have known that somehow she would end up finding the Winchesters."

"What does that mean?" Dean asked.

Castiel seemed to be smiling, but only slightly as he remembered. He had been the one to tell Robyn stories of the brothers. They were the only stories she ever asked him to tell. She didn't really care about anything else. Deciding to keep that information to himself, he disappeared to who the hell knows where.

Dean just rolled his eyes and they walked back into the room.

"Damn it, Cas. Never can answer a freaking question…"

Sam ignored Dean altogether. He looked at the girl as she slept. In that moment, he couldn't deny that she looked the most innocent out of everyone in their group. He sighed, hoping they had made the right decision.

-_The next morning_-

Sam woke up with a yawn. He sat up and stretched, listening to the sound of Dean's snoring. All of a sudden the sound of the motel room door opening and closing cut through the steady snoring. It may have been completely silent if the door hinges had been oiled in the past ten years. Before the door closed, he had caught sight of Robyn's shoe stepping outside.. Sam got to his feet quickly, wearing flannel pajama pants and an old grey T-shirt. He got to the door in three easy strides and walked outside, looking around for Robyn. He saw her begin to walk towards the road with her bag hanging from her back. Her head was down, not noticing Sam as he approached her.

"Where are you going?" He asked gently. He saw her jump and turn her head to look at him. Her eyes could not have been sweeter, or more surprised. She clearly hadn't expected anyone to come after her. She had wanted to leave quietly.

"Well," she hesitated. "I just…figured that this would be easier. I mean, I'd have to leave anyway, so why not just leave while everyone's asleep…you know? Thanks for helping me out though. I appreciate it."

Sam could tell that she was sincere. He also noticed that she was no longer wearing the bandage but there was no trace that the wound had ever been there. She was perfectly healthy by the looks of it.

"But, we don't want you to leave in the first place." Sam said matter-of-factly. He had never seen a more confused face on anyone before. It was like she had never heard that sentence before in her life.

"What?"

"We talked about it, and we would like you to come with us." He explained.

It took a moment before Robyn could even utter any sound at all. "You mean…like…hunting…with…the Winchesters?"

"Well, I don't know about hunting, but we don't feel right about leaving you behind. Besides, you might actually be safer with us." Sam gave her a smile and she just looked up at him with a stunned expression on her face. For just a split second, he thought that he saw tears in her eyes. He didn't have time to tell for sure, because just after that, she hugged him tightly.

"Thank you." She said, although her voice was muffled by Sam's shirt.

Sam didn't say anything. He just hugged her back, his smile faded. And just like that, the girl he had fought to try to leave behind had won him over.

Not a minute later did they hear the motel room door crash open and see Dean running towards them. Sam and Robyn stepped away from each other as they watched Dean with amusement. He looked frantic but then his eyes locked on them and they could almost see the sigh of relief.

"What the hell, guys?" He shouted. "Don't tell me that you guys were leaving? Who does that?" He noticed Robyn's bag. "Where are you going?" He asked, looking at her.

She just smiled. "Nowhere."

Dean just looked at the two of them, trying to understand what was going on through a just-woken-up fog. Then, he smiled, thinking he was reading the situation pretty well. "Alright then. Before we hit the road, anyone up for pie?"

-_Later_-

The boys made good on their deal with Robyn. They bought her meal at the same restaurant they had been to the week before. When they left, they were all stuffed, especially Robyn and Dean. They had almost had a knock-down-drag-out eating match. They were both groaning as they made their way to the Impala. Let's face it, there are no winners in an eating competition. And the two of them were learning that painful lesson.

Despite having severe stomach pain, Dean still drove. It was not one of those rare occasions when he allowed Sam to drive. Robyn sat in the back and listened to the song that was playing on one of Dean's many classis tapes.

_The Weight _by _The Band_.

Robyn had barely been able to listen to any music throughout her life, so to be able to just sit in the back seat of a car, relax, with a full stomach and have that cassette tape turned up loud was by far the best feeling in the world. Nobody really spoke for a while as the song played. They all just sat and listened to Levon Helm sing about some girl named Annie, or Fanny. Apparently no one was really sure what this guy was really saying. For some reason, this only made the song more appealing to Robyn. She liked not knowing everything, even something as simple as the correct lyrics to a song. She liked being able to look up at the stars and not see a swirling ball of gas, but instead something that just lit up the night sky, like that was its sole purpose. But most of all, she liked not knowing what she was, because it allowed her to separate herself from it. It allowed her to cling to being human with all the strength she had been able to keep with her, even if it might just be verging on a sweet delusion.


End file.
